View full sizeBe careful if your Christmas wish was for world peace. Metta World Peace, the guy above throwing the elbow, might show up at your door. Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times

Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers Tweeted "Happy Labor Day -- enjoy it" the night before Memorial Day. When he heard from angry followers, he explained he doesn't keep up on all the religious holidays.

In 2012, cameras caught someone cleaning Jerry Jones' eyeglasses in the owner's box during a Cowboys game, and it wasn't Mike Holmgren.

Nine youth football coaches in Florida faced felony charges for high-stakes gambling on little league football. Six of the nine are ex-convicts.

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Love picked a story -- that he broke his hand while doing pushups on his knuckles -- and stuck to it.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao's mother traced his loss to Juan Miguel Marquez to her son leaving the Catholic church.

For that and so many other sketchy reasons, 2012 was memorable.

And now we have lucky '13 on the way.

2012 Spinnies

(Separating the Worse from the Worst)

Worst Show of Support

"I have no problems with Mike Brown at all. . . . I just have to be patient" -- Lakers CEO Jim Buss shortly before firing the former Cavaliers coach five games into the season.

Second Worst Show of Support

The Arkansas fan with the sign that read "What's wrong with scoring in the offseason?" in support of coach Bobby Petrino after a sex scandal contributed to the married coach's firing.

Tweet That Best Demonstrated This Isn't Your Father's NFL

"Hate when I let those people in the mall talk me into entertaining that nail file and leaving me with one shiny nail for a month!" -- Browns receiver Greg Little.

Worst Predictions

Mike Holmgren pleaded for patience by telling season ticket holders brighter days were just around the next corner. "Going from 4-12 to 6-10 isn't good enough. And that's been conveyed. I believe we are going to be better than that -- in fact, we're going to be a lot better than that. Hang in there a little longer."

At a Chinese restaurant in Goodyear, Ariz., one night during spring training, Manny Acta opened a fortune cookie. Since it read, "Your sports team will be very successful" it may have been better served on the plate of Goodyear's other major league manager in residence, the Reds' Dusty Baker.

Actress Kate Winslet married for the third time, trading vows in a private ceremony with Ned RocknRoll, the nephew of billionaire Sir Richard Branson. RocknRoll changed his name because he feels people take their names too seriously.

Best Unintentional Shaming of a Pro Athlete

A 6-year-old Giants fan sent a letter to Giants running back Brandon Jacobs containing $3.36 after the boy's mother explained that Jacobs might not return to the team because of money issues.

"I almost cried," Tweeted Jacobs, who signed with the 49ers, fell out of favor with head coach Jim Harbaugh and was recently suspended.

Worst Apology Ever

When the White House welcomed the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks in early January, Delonte West did not make the trip.

"It's going to be a shame the president isn't going to get a chance to meet me," the former Cavaliers guard said. "I'm the president of my house."

OSU President E. Gordon Gee had a tough 2011 and was distancing himself beautifully from comments that upset Boise State, TCU and the Little Sisters of the Poor when he spoke in Columbus about difficulties coordinating OSU's independent schools and colleges.

"They were kind of like PT boats, they were shooting each other," Gee said before feeling the need to add, "It was kind of like the Polish army or something."

Worst Excuse

Boston Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks blaming a failed sobriety test and his arrest on five misdemeanor charges -- including leaving the scene of a crash -- on "too many muscle relaxers."

That's the weakest excuse since the captain of the Costa Concordia claimed he only left his sinking ship because he tripped on the deck and fell into a lifeboat.

Thickest Head

Former Lakers and Cavaliers coach Mike Brown benched center Andrew Bynum for launching a 3-pointer early in the shot clock.

Said Bynum, "I guess, 'Don't take 3s' is the message, but I'm going to take another one and I'm going to take some more, so I just hope it's not the same result."

Five Favorite Quotes of 2012

•"Did they really have to?" -- reliever Dan Wheeler when asked if the Indians gave him a reason for waiving him after he allowed six runs in one inning against Boston.

•"Went to the beach. Water was wet" -- the late Rick Majerus, mocking the more mundane uses of Twitter.

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